


To Love and To Protect Till Death

by The_Consulting_Werewolf



Series: The Krisho Whodunit Files [6]
Category: EXO (Band), VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Small Town, EXO mostly have their Chinese names besides Junmyeon becaue reasons, F/M, Historical Inaccuracy, M/M, Murder Mystery, mentioned smut, people are not very nice here tbh, possibly the 40s or 30s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 12:30:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19394182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Consulting_Werewolf/pseuds/The_Consulting_Werewolf
Summary: Yuang Fen is dead, and the mystery only begins. But who killed him? The arrogant Lu Han? The unfaithful Baixian? The couldn't-care-any-less Zitao? Or the somewhat nice Shixun?Or, as detective Yixing thinks, is it someone else?





	To Love and To Protect Till Death

**Author's Note:**

> what consulting werewolf needs to do? start working on the fic fests she said she would write.  
> what consulting werewolf does? finish a long one-shot collecting dust in her Google Drive.
> 
> this is largely based on Kohen Kobi Kalidas, a Byomkesh Bakshy story, the best Bengali detective series ever!!!

I.

Junmyeon wakes up with a mild headache and a grumbling stomach. He had missed dinner like usual and he can feel how dry and itchy his eyes are after crying all night. He sits up, rubbing his dry eyes anyway and watches the dust dancing in the sunlight pouring through the plain cotton curtains. Just another Saturday night, and he will do this all over again next week. He will be crying and then falling asleep hungry, upset and feeling just downright horrible about the things he did to keep himself alive.

“Junmyeon!”

A loud, rough, slightly nasal voice calls for him, so he gets up from his bed and shuffles to unlock his door, poking his head out, squinting as the sunlight hits his eyes, and he shouts back, “Yes master?”

“My morning tea, quickly! I have a long day today!”

“Of course, right away. Would you like breakfast?”

“No, not today. And I won’t be home for lunch either.”

The master of the house, Yuang Fen retreats back into his first-floor study and Junmyeon watches Yuang locking the back door. This is the back entrance to the first floor of the house that looks into the courtyard and the servants’ quarters that Junmyeon mostly inhabits. The kitchen, the well, and the courtyard are the places in the house Yuang doesn’t step in. Even the study on the floor above is hardly used by Yuang—it is a storeroom basically. It also has the master’s locker where Junmyeon knows the man keeps all his illegally earned money.

Not that Junmyeon much cares about where the money comes from, he cares how Yuang tries to use _him_ to make money. Yuang tries to whore him out but Junmyeon will never let that happen. By now, it has become something of a game between Yuang, Junmyeon and Yuang’s primary circle of acquaintances. Yuang keeps taking the money and Junmyeon keeps refusing the four men.

Junmyeon starts on the tea and he swallows back a sob as he recalls the events of last night again. Lu Han, Baixian, Zitao and Shixun are Yuang’s newest preys and they come over to gamble every Saturday night. Junmyeon helps Yuang cheat because he has to or else Yuang will throw him out and Junmyeon is still paid wages, which he desperately needs so he can save enough to run away one day. All four men have their eyes on Junmyeon and he hates it, absolutely loathes how they look at him. But last night, it happened again.

_Junmyeon watches them all leave, grumbling how Yuang must cheat to win. Junmyeon smiles wryly—if they only knew. He closes the door behind them and since he wasn’t paying much attention, he doesn’t realise that the worst amongst them all, Lu Han, hasn’t left. So, when he returns to the cards room, he is astonished to find Lu Han in one of the chairs around the table sipping his whiskey._

_Lu Han smirks when he sees Junmyeon. There is only one lamp in the room and its shaded, so as he waits in the dark, his face looks predatory and Junmyeon knows he should leave but he does have to clear the room. He twists the end of his braid and asks, “Mister Lu, your friends have left.”_

_“Oh I know,” Lu Han drawls. He puts his glass down and crooks his finger, beckoning Junmyeon to come closer. Junmyeon doesn’t want to obey but something in the man’s eyes makes him scared, so he decides to listen. When Junmyeon is close enough, Lu Han fishes out a thick wad of money and puts it up under Junmyeon’s nose with a grin. “Your master said I can buy you for the night.”_

_Junmyeon doesn’t gasp out loud because this has happened before, with Baixian. Baixian came close enough to try to physically force him but Junmyeon had pushed him away and ran to the safety of his room. But Lu Han isn’t trying anything, as if he is waiting, as if he is amused by some sort of game he is playing that only he knows about. Junmyeon takes the money, glares at him, bunches the notes in his hand and throws it back on Lu Han’s face with a low, strained whisper, “I am not for sale Mister Lu. I’d suggest you go home now.”_

_Lu Han didn’t look too pissed; as if he knew Junmyeon would do this. He opens his mouth to say something but Junmyeon doesn’t wait to hear or know as he rushes out of the room, fighting back his tears._

As the water boils, Junmyeon raises his hand and touches the ring he wears around his neck on a chain, tucked under his tunic. It has been three years but he can’t lose hope. He knows his husband is still out there somewhere and one day, they will see each other, no matter what.

The circumstances of his wedding were no different from anyone else’s in his village yet it wasn’t what Junmyeon wanted. He was only nineteen at the time and the man his uncle and aunt arranged for him was a good seven years older than him and worked in the army. At first, Junmyeon didn’t like him but slowly, as he got to know and understand the man, he fell in love deeply. Then, the war broke out three years ago and his husband disappeared. Junmyeon knocked various doors, asked various people but to no avail. Just because his husband wasn’t someone high up in the ranks, no one cared. His parents had died some time ago, so Junmyeon was homeless and had almost no money. Yuang found him and gave him a job. He was cook and housekeeper and occasionally helped Yuang cheat in cards. Life was bearable a year ago but then they moved into this town of rich people and coal mines and now Yuang tries to sell him to people. But Junmyeon can’t complain because Yuang saved him from poverty, gave him a roof over his head. 

He takes the tea to Yuang, who’s lounging in the front living room. The older man is in his mid-fifties and stands tall. His body is thin, too bony and his skin has this yellow tint to it that implies he must have suffered through some great disease when young. His cheeks are sunken in and he hardly has any hair left on his head but he tries his best to maintain the thin, limp mustache on his face. Junmyeon notices the small stack of cash on the side table and wonders for a moment before shrugging it off. He serves the tea and he is about to go back to the kitchen when someone knocks on the door. Yuang frowns, “Don’t tell me that fool let just about anyone in again!”

The “fool” refers to the man who guards their gates. There are two more guards but all three are sort of inept at keeping unwanted (mostly people who take loans from Yuang) people away. Junmyeon opens the door anyway, ready to lie and say the moneylender isn’t home but when his eyes land on the tall, tanned man in front of him, he forgets what he has to say.

The man in front of him widens his eyes and gasps. _Yifan?_ Junmyeon can’t believe his eyes. _What is his husband doing here?_

Yuang rises from his chair and sees who it is and says, “Ah, Wu, didn’t I tell you to enter the house through the back? I don’t do my money business in front of the house.”

Yifan tears his gaze away from Junmyeon, who had moved to the side to let Yifan enter. Yifan says, “Sorry mister Yuang, I couldn’t park the taxi behind the house, there are a couple of cars blocking the lane.”

Yuang waves his hand, “Ah never mind, just give me the installment and go.”

Yifan nods and takes a stack of cash from his inner pocket. Junmyeon realises Yifan is paying Yuang back a loan. Yuang takes the money, brings out his tiny red notebook from his trouser pocket and quickly jots it down. Yifan bows and with one last look thrown at Junmyeon’s direction, he leaves.

Yuang returns to his tea, he gives Junmyeon some instructions for dinner but Junmyeon is not paying attention. As soon as Yuang is done, he rushes out of the house and he finds a black taxi parked opposite the house and Yifan is inside, staring at the house. When their eyes meet, Junmyeon breaks into a run and Yifan gets out from his car. When Junmyeon is close enough, he whispers, “Don’t. I don’t want anyone to see.”

Yifan nods, “Get in the car.” The promenade in front of the house is busy but no one’s paying them any attention. “Yuang hired a car to take you somewhere.”

“We will go with that.”

Junmyeon gets on the backseat and Yifan starts the car. Junmyeon tries but he can’t help the tears slowly rolling down his cheeks as he stares at Yifan’s nape. He wants to throw his arms around Yifan, kiss every inch of his skin but he has to hold back. His chest hurts when he asks, “Where were you all this time Fan?”

“I was injured Myeon,” Yifan starts, his voice low, and Junmyeon watches his knuckles tightening around the steering wheel, “They took me to a hospital in another town, far away. By the time I returned home, you were gone, the whole village was almost gone.” He glances at Junmyeon from the mirror and he sees the tears and his heart clenches.

Junmyeon rubs his face and nods, “They attacked our village, so I had to leave. Mother couldn’t survive her wounds. My uncle’s house got burned as well. Yuang found me and offered me a job.”

“Job?”

Junmyeon knows instinctively that Yifan won’t appreciate knowing what Yuang has him to do in that house, so he sticks to the words he throws at everyone asking him the same, “I am his cook and housekeeper. But what are you…”

Yifan takes a deep breath. “I took a loan from him three months ago to buy this car. It’s a private taxi. I am paying back in installments.”

Yifan had driven them to an abandoned mine. Water had filled the hole and there is no one but them and a stray buffalo chewing the barely there grass. As soon as Junmyeon stepped down from the car, he throws himself at Yifan, who wraps his arms around Junmyeon without any hesitation.

Yifan had just lost his father to illness when his mother decided to marry him off to Junmyeon, whose uncle promised his mother a considerable dowry. His mother was only being greedy for the sake of making sure their house stays upright. Yifan’s salary as a driver in the army wasn’t providing much, especially when most of it was spent on his father. Also, he was twenty-six at the time and Junmyeon was only nineteen—it felt all sorts of wrong to him. War had already started to ravage the cities and was affecting the smaller towns and villages, so Yifan didn’t think it was a good idea to get married but when he saw Junmyeon for the first time in the registry office, his wide, soft brown eyes, flawless skin, and rosy lips, Yifan could no longer say no. Of course, it wasn’t easy in the beginning for either of them since they were basically strangers but it took them almost a year before they both fell in love and consummated their marriage.

Then, Yifan got called away to drive trucks and he had to leave Junmyeon behind. After the accident when he returned, he learned his mother was dead and Junmyeon was gone. He had thought him dead too, so he took to this vagabond life for the last three years, and now, with Junmyeon in his arms, sobbing, he thinks he has to be fortunate indeed to find the love of his life again.

Junmyeon pulls back slightly and cups Yifan’s face. He traces the high cheekbones, the curve of his lips and whispers, “I knew I would see you again. They had asked me to mourn but I wasn’t going to, I refused to. I wouldn’t wear black clothes and I wouldn’t sell my ring, they called me crazy, but I knew, I just knew.”

Yifan raises his hand to wipe the tears off Junmyeon’s face. It has been three years since he saw Junmyeon and he is so breathtakingly beautiful to Yifan still. His hair is longer and he has lost some fat from his cheeks, but his eyes and smile are enough to make Yifan feel weak in his knees. No one else will ever compare. “I am so sorry, I didn’t try to look for you harder.”

Junmyeon puts his hands on Yifan’s chest and shakes his head, smiling softly, “No, no it’s not your fault, not by any means. I thought you were gone and you thought the same about me. We had nothing but gut feeling driving us after all.”

They sit down by the shade of the car and start talking about all they have missed in the last three years. Junmyeon has his head on Yifan’s shoulder and Yifan has his arm around Junmyeon’s shoulder. Their free hands are laced on Yifan’s lap. Junmyeon asks, “Where are you staying?”

Yifan replies, “There’s a boarding house in the old town.”

Junmyeon straightens up a bit, frowning, “What about food?” He is well aware of how the mess makes horrible food as attested by one of the guards who was complaining to the another guard and Junmyeon happened to eavesdrop. He often takes pity on them and hands them any extra food.

Yifan shrugs, “I eat whatever the mess cook makes.”

Junmyeon clicks his tongue, shaking his head faster now, letting some of the hair from his braid fly loose, “That’s—come over to the house. Use the back door, I will prepare your food.”

Yifan chuckles; he remembers how Junmyeon loves cooking, especially for him. “And what about Yuang?”

Junmyeon grins, “He doesn’t care. The pantry is purely under my control. He just leaves me money and I can buy whatever I want.” He leans forward to cup Yifan’s face again and his smile softens, “I will make you anything you want.”

Yifan feels his heart thudding hard against his chest at the gentle tone and equally gentle smile, “I miss your dumplings.”

Junmyeon laughs, his eyes crinkling beautifully, “Then dumplings you shall get.”

Yifan sighs, pressing his forehead against Junmyeon’s. He exhales, the words slipping naturally from his lips, “I love you, Myeon.”

Junmyeon’s heart tightens and he feels happiness flooding his senses as he kisses the side of Yifan’s jaw, murmuring against his skin, “I love you, Fan, so, so much.”

Their lips meet, and they meet again and again till Junmyeon is laid on his back and Yifan showers him with more kisses down his throat and unbuttons his tunic so he could kiss every inch of Junmyeon’s chest. Junmyeon can’t wait, neither can Yifan, so in the shade of the car, hidden from view, they let go and into their forgotten passion. Clothes are shed in no order, limbs entangled and hands grasp, trying to touch every space of bare skin. By the time, they are coming down, the sweat on their bodies cool, Yifan says, “We will leave Myeon, we will leave as soon as my debt is paid, I promise.”

Junmyeon smiles wryly, trying to ensure Yifan doesn’t see the despair in his eyes. He can’t tell Yifan the truth, not now, not ever. He closes them and cups the back of Yifan’s head to pull him down to kiss him again. Against Yifan’s lips, Junmyeon murmurs, “We will, yes. It doesn’t matter where we are, or how we live, I just want to be with you.”

II.

If Junmyeon knew how his words would impact the consequent events, he may have rephrased them better. A month after Yifan’s return, Yuang is found murdered in his bedroom. The prime suspects are the quartet—Lu Han, Baixian, Shixun, and Zitao. They had all admitted coming to Yuang’s house that night and when Junmyeon couldn’t exactly confirm, they were immediately suspected even though the police didn’t know who was the one who dealt Yuang the fatal blow on his head. Junmyeon was the one to discover the body in the morning and he had run out into the streets and all the way to the nearest (and only) police station.

Yuang didn’t have a good reputation in town and the four suspects were all from affluent, influential families, so the investigation was going at a snail’s pace and the police were half-afraid to touch the four men. The most annoying of it all was how Junmyeon wasn’t allowed to leave the house until the suspect was apprehended. And Junmyeon hated staying in that house on his own, especially during the night. Yifan would come by for lunch every now and then but then again he couldn’t stay the night because of the guards the police put around the house. Junmyeon knows this is the _perfect_ time to leave, especially when he knows where Yuang keeps his black money and Yifan doesn’t need to pay any debt back. But the police now is making everything difficult. However, there was one upside to this. The four weren’t coming any closer to the house.

Ten days pass like this before two people from the city arrive. A professional detective named Zhang arrives with his husband and assistant. Junmyeon has never heard of him, neither has Yifan—they are from small towns and what the big people do in the big cities are none of their business. Except, Junmyeon knew he was to be harassed now for another round. He is alone and missing Yifan, who is driving those two newcomers around town apparently. Junmyeon sighs and flops down on the kitchen floor, staring at the slow fire cooking the rice. He smiles when he thinks about the other days when Yuang was still alive and Yifan would sneak inside through the backdoor for lunch. However, his smile drops when he thinks back to the day Yifan learned of his truth of living under Yuang’s roof.

_“Myeon?”_

_Junmyeon is poking the burning embers to evenly distribute the heat in the stove when he hears Yifan calling for him. He turns around and smiles, “You came just in time. The rice is almost done.” But Yifan isn’t smiling back like he usually does. His face is grim, his eyes are cold, hooded and his hands are fisted to his side. Junmyeon frowns; did something happen?_

_He reduces the heat on the stove and gets to his feet, wiping the sweat off his brows. He comes closer to Yifan and grabs his wrist as his voice drops to a whisper as he asks, “What is it Fan?”_

_Yifan gulps, eyes trained to the floor, “Is it, is it true Yuang forces you to do...stuff?”_

_Junmyeon gasps; almost stumbles back before he grabs Yifan’s other wrist and drags him towards his room. He pushes Yifan down on the floor and starts crying against Yifan’s chest. He didn’t want Yifan to know but how did he even come to know? When he asks Yifan the same in between his muffled sobs, Yifan answers, “I was taking Lu Han and Bian Baixian from their home to the club. They were talking about Yuang and him cheating them of their money. And, and then they talked about you.” Yifan swallows, “The way they were talking about you, I wanted to, I wanted to…”_

_Junmyeon puts his hands over Yifan’s balled-up fists. He says, “They, I have never let them touch me Fan, I promise.”_

_“I know, they talked about how you are playing hard to get,” Yifan’s voice now has a sharp, dangerous edge to it._

_Junmyeon lifts his head and cups Yifan’s face. He says, “You know I’m yours, I’ll always be yours. That can never change, I can’t let anyone else touch me like you do.”_

_Yifan swallows again; Junmyeon’s eyes are shining with tears and his lips are quivering. He knows Junmyeon means what he says, he would never doubt Junmyeon. And he is not mad at Junmyeon, not one bit. Instead, he is worried for him, and madder at the two men. He is seething that Yuang uses Junmyeon as bait to aid in cheating in cards._

_Junmyeon’s fists bunch up his shirt and fat tears roll down his cheeks again. Yifan gently presses his lips on Junmyeon eyelid and says, leaning back, “I swear I will take you away from here.”_

Suddenly, the doorbell rings, interrupting Junmyeon’s thoughts. He rises up and walks towards the door, opening it to three men standing on the doorstep. He recognises the OC, Jin Minshuo, but the two men are unknown—though judging by their clothes, Junmyeon understands they must be those city people. The shorter, bespectacled of the two ask, “Are you Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon nods; the man smiles a little, “I am Zhang Yixing and this is my husband Jung Taekwoon. We are from Changsha and on the request of our old friend Minshuo here, we are investigating your master’s death. Can we come in?”

Junmyeon nods again and steps aside. He shows them to the sitting room and bows, “Sorry, I have some rice cooking, do you mind if I quickly go and turn the fire off?”

Yixing smiles, his dimples showing, “Oh no, no, please, go ahead!”

Junmyeon rushes off to douse the stove and hurries right back, not before grabbing a tray with glasses filled with water. Sure, his employer is dead, it doesn’t mean he has to stop doing his duties. The fate of the house is unknown to him but he doesn’t care as long as he gets to leave.

The three men finish their water and the short one starts speaking, “Your name is Junmyeon, right? Are you from Korea?” Junmyeon nods. “How come you are here then? Did you come here before or after the war?”

“I used to live in a border town, and then my wedding was arranged with a man in the next town. Both towns were destroyed in the battles,” Junmyeon answers.

Yixing slightly frowned, “You are married?”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen my husband in three years.”

“Did he go missing in the war?” Junmyeon nods again, his fingers twisting the end of his braid. Yixing clears his throat, “Anyway, I am going to ask you about that night now. Minshuo ge says you were asleep?”

Junmyeon nods, “I put dinner in master’s room and then I went back to my room. I was up sewing for some time but then my head hurt, so I decided to just go to bed.”

“Can you tell me the time?”

“Well,” Junmyeon chews his lip. “Master would always ask for his dinner between nine to nine thirty, and I would usually go upstairs with his food within this time. And before bed, I managed to only fix my tunic partially, so I think I was asleep by eleven?”

Yixing hums, rubbing his chin, “The death occurred between eleven and twelve thirty. So, a whole two hours after you left his dinner in his room. But, he didn’t eat his dinner that night, did he?”

Junmyeon sighs, “I wouldn’t know sir. Sometimes, the master did such things. I would leave the food when I was supposed to and he would eat when he wanted to. There have been times I was woken up at midnight to reheat his dinner.”

Yixing smirked, “Was he a good employer?” Junmyeon frowns and looks away; Yixing adds, “I have heard about the four of them. They have said Yuang used you to cheat on cards. You had to stand close to them, flirt with them to get what Yuang wanted, right? Did you ever do anything else?”

Junmyeon feels the anger creeping through his veins and his nostrils flare as he bites back, “What are they telling people now? That I spread my legs for them for some money? I got paid wages sir, and even if my husband’s never found, I will die loyal to him!” He steps back and bows, “Now, excuse me. I have to go. Since I’m still being forced to remain, I do need to keep the whole place clean. Goodbye.”

Junmyeon leaves in a flurry and Taekwoon comments, “Fierce.”

“Very,” Yixing murmurs.

Minshuo sighs, “Okay, now to where?”

“Can we look at the crime scene?”

“Of course, follow me,” Minshuo smiles and gets to his feet. The house is big but not any bigger than some of the other houses in the more posh area of the town. The front courtyard divides the house into two parts and there are stairs running towards the east and west wings in the hallway. Minshuo takes the stairs for the west wing and Yixing and Taekwoon follow. They reach a corridor with rooms on both sides, totalling three. One is shown to be a study, the other is a storeroom of sorts and lastly is the bedroom where the body was found.

The room has been left as it is; of course, the blood and the food were removed but the table is still overturned and the chalk line is still prominent on the polished red floor. Yixing removes his spectacles and says, “So, the victim was hit on the back of the head and he fell on the table, thus turning it sideways and making the dinner fall along with it.” He gazes at the outline on the floor and then looks at the door leading to the bathroom. He opens the door and to his surprise, he finds another door. He opens it and sees a spiralling staircase leading down from it. The back of the house is seen from here and Yixing asks, “Is this an entrance for the bathroom cleaner?”

“We will have to ask the housekeeper,” Minshuo replies, shrugging his shoulders.

Yixing notices Junmyeon bustling in the kitchen. The stairs are tucked at the very corner of the high boundary wall. Running opposite the wall are the kitchen and the servants’ quarters. There is a small gate tucked against the wall, devoid of the grandeur of the main gate, a few feet away from the stairs. Junmyeon is hanging up washing and Yixing whispers to himself, “Interesting.”

Yixing yawns, “So, tell me about the four suspects again. You were there when I was talking to them, I want to know your perspective on them.”

Taekwoon reclines back in his seat, closes his eyes and starts, “Starting from oldest to youngest—Lu Han, Bian Baixian, Huang Zitao, and Wu Shixun. Common thread? They are all filthy rich. First of all, Lu Han, brother of Lu Shen. Lu Shen is a bad apple; he is known for his wealth but he is also known for his less than honourable ways of doing business. Since the law can’t touch Shen, Han thinks the same. If Lu Shen is of bad temperament, Lu Han is an arrogant alcoholic. Word on the street is that Han got a girl pregnant two years ago and the girl nicely went missing. A disgusting insect, indeed.

“Second up, Bian Baixian. Son of one of the richest men in town, he himself is actually of no use. Has no head for business, spends all his time either in gambling, prostitutes or races. Has a wife, who he obviously doesn’t care for at all. Seems extremely infatuated with Junmyeon, the housekeeper.

“Now, Huang Zitao, a very, very secretive person on the whole. Father’s a lawyer, literally swims in money, has a flashy red car. I noticed he smokes, a lot. Isn’t very keen on anything or anyone just enjoys playing cards a lot. His brother died in the war, so his father wants him to take over the firm. He seems to be the most educated among the lot. He actually perhaps cares for his future.

“Lastly, Wu Shixun. Handsome fellow but sort of meek—definitely meeker than the company he keeps. He looked nervous when you were talking to him. He might spill sooner than later, I bet. Oh, his family owns the biggest departmental store here and in the next town. He has an older brother so the weight of taking over is not on him, hence, he spends his time with the three cretins. Also, he seems to feel bad about Lu Han and Baixian lusting over Junmyeon.”

“Quite concise, my dear,” Yixing chuckles. They are laid out on a sofa, bodies pressed against each other. Yixing puts his head on Taekwoon’s shoulder and asks, “So, who do you think is the possible murderer?”

Taekwoon opens one eye and smirks, “Isn’t that your job?”

Yixing pokes into Taekwoon’s side with his finger and hums. He had come here on the invitation of Bian senior, who wanted Yixing to investigate who was causing problems in his mine. While Yixing already knows who’s responsible for that (it took him only a couple of days to figure that out) but it was Bian junior’s wife who came up to him yesterday afternoon and told him her woes.

_After lunch got over, Taekwoon decided to take a nap even though Yixing wanted to visit the mines. He lies down beside his husband and cards his fingers through Taekwoon’s hair and smiles, “Tired?”_

_Taekwoon sighs, “We have been on the road since last night, I deserve this nap.”_

_Yixing laughs and presses his lips on Taekwoon’s temple. “Okay, sleep. I will wake you up in an hour?”_

_“Okay.”_

_But Taekwoon didn’t get to nap when someone knocks on the door. Taekwoon opens one eye and groans. Yixing grins, muttering, “Guess, your nap is cancelled.”_

_Yixing opens the door to Baixian’s wife standing, her wrist raised and her eyes slightly widened. Taiyan is three years older than Baixian and is beautiful, smart and according to Bian senior, a capable lady of the house, having filled the shoes of her late mother-in-law efficiently. She smiles a little at Yixing and he can sense her apprehension, nervousness. He nods, “Come in missus Bian.”_

_Taiyan steps in and shuts the door herself. She is dressed in a simple tunic and loose trousers, her hair tied atop her head in a bun. For a woman married into an affluent family, she dresses too simply and Yixing wonders if she herself doesn’t come from a wealthy family. Currently, she stands in front of Yixing, twisting her fingers and gazing down at her feet. Yixing calmly asks, “Is anything the matter missus Bian?”_

_Taiyan bites down on her lip and nods. Taekwoon gets up and gestures her to sit on the bed. Taiyan sits down and asks, “Can I ask you for a favour mister Zhang?”_

_“Of course, how may I help?”_

_“I need you to find out who killed Yuang Fen.”_

_“Yuang Fen?” Yixing frowns._

_Taiyan inhales deeply before speaking, “Yuang Fen was a notorious moneylender and gambler. You may not know but gambling is prohibited in this town in public places, so Yuang opened his own private, exclusive club and my husband went to his house every week. He would go there with his three friends—scoundrels, the lot of them.” Her face scrunches in displeasure before she continues, “Anyway, a few days ago, Yuang was found murdered in his house and my husband, along with his friends, are the prime suspects.” She gets to her feet and leans forward to clasp Yixing’s hands, “I need to know if he did it or not. Because if he did, then I’ll have to leave. He doesn’t care for me or this house or his father mister Zhang. I know he gambles, I know he sleeps around.” Her hands slip under the pocket on her tunic and she brings out a small brooch encrusted with rubies. “I come from a poor family mister Zhang, but my mother wanted to send me away with one good thing. I don’t know how much you take as fees, but if—”_

_Yixing shakes his head and covers the brooch in Taiyan’s hand. “No, missus Bian. I will not take anything from you. Your father-in-law is paying us enough as it is, I don’t need this from you but I will take up your case.”_

_Taiyan’s eyes fill with tears and she bows, “Thank you mister Zhang, thank you.”_

When Yixing learned Minshuo was the new OC here, Yixing didn’t dally on taking up Taiyan’s request. Minshuo and he had met many years ago on another case in another town, so the older man was only too eager to help. In fact, he was relieved of the pressure Lu Shen was putting on him when Yixing offered to help. So far, Yixing has talked to Baixian and he is one slimy human being. Yixing also had conversations with his other friends and he came to one conclusion: they were all lying and trying to cover each other’s backs.

Yixing says, “So, Baixian, Lu Han, Shixun and Zitao were all at the house that day. They agree on that but each refuses to admit who went into Yuang’s room first.” Suddenly, he sits up straight. “Taek! _How_ did they get to Yuang’s house that night?”

Taekwoon says, “They said they took a taxi but they can’t remember the number.”

Yixing grins, “We need to find this taxi!”

Two hours later, Minshuo calls Yixing to let him know that out of the hundred private taxis in the town, the four took one that night to get to Yuang’s house. There were only ten drivers on duty that late in the night. The driver who took them to Yuang’s house is named Wu Yifan.

Taekwoon and Yixing head out in search for Wu Yifan and they find the man easily enough at the garage he parks the car at. The driver is cleaning the windows of the taxi when Yixing walks up to him, “Mister Wu?”

The man halts and turns around. He is taller than Taekwoon and Yixing didn’t think that was possible. He has to crane his neck as he closes in and bows, “I am Zhang Yixing and this is my husband, Jung Taekwoon. We are investigating Yuang Fen’s death.”

“Oh, ok,” Yifan says, wiping his hands down his trousers. “Of course, how can I help?”

“You were the one who drove Lu Han, Baixian, Zitao and Shixun to Yuang’s house the night of the murder, didn’t you?”

Yifan nods, “Yeah, I did.”

“I need you to tell me what happened.”

“Well, I got a call from mister Lu’s house. They call at this garage and I was the only one here, so I went. I knew the way without being told to. I have picked them up from the house before.”

“Do you know if all four of them went inside the house?”

“No, I am not—” Yifan chews his lip as he frowns, thinking hard. “Well, I think only mister Lu went inside and mister Bian didn’t go inside completely. Mister Huang and mister Wu were outside by the car. They were whispering and they thought I might be eavesdropping, so I was asked to leave for a while and wait on the opposite street. There’s a confectionary shop by that side, and I was hungry, so I got myself a snack as they waited.”

“So, who called you back?”

“Mister Wu did.”

“And where did you go?”

“Not too far, just on the opposite side of the street.”

“And did you hear anything?”

“No, sir, I didn’t. I don’t hear very well after my accident.”

“Your accident?”

Yifan flushes a little as he bows his head. “I was near a bomb explosion during the war. They ruined my eardrums a bit.”

“Okay, thank you, Wu, you can go back to your work.”

Yixing leaves but as he does, his eyes land on the way Yifan leans forward to grab the spanner with his left hand. A detail from the post mortem report flashes inside Yixing’s mind. _Interesting_.

As expected, it is Shixun who summons Yixing to the club. The town is not very old; the first mine began roughly fifty years ago and with the advent of war, the rich and the intelligent jumped into the metal and coal business and slowly started expanding the town. Now, they have schools, hospitals, and sprawling mansions. The club is also a part of this luxury one half of the town surrounds itself with, though it has its shortcomings. It is a flashy place like someone splashed money with no taste. The massive two-storeyed building is new and the new paint smell lingers faintly. They are ushered to the lawn by a uniformed woman where they find Shixun sitting under an umbrella, scowling into his drink. Taekwoon raises his eyebrows; it is only eleven in the morning and the young Wu is already one glass in.

Yixing sits down and Shixun tries to order something for him. Yixing waves him and smiles, “Just some tea will do. Right, Taek?”

Taekwoon nods; Shixun looks at Taekwoon and then back at Yixing, grinning, “I have to admit, I’ve never seen or read about a detective who’s married.”

Yixing laughs, “Do you read a lot of detective novels?”

“Oh yes!” Shixun laughs. “I love them!”

A waiter returns with the tea and serves them cups of fragrant oolong tea. He also places a plate of sesame seed biscuits, bows and then promptly leaves as Shixun dismisses him. He begins the conversation and his small talk about the weather and how Yixing and Taekwoon are liking the town are all superficial and everyone knows it. Yixing finally clears his throat and says, “Mister Wu, you seem of a much clearer conscience than the others. My husband and I could both tell you wanted to talk to us but couldn’t that day in front of Inspector Jin.”

Shixun sighs, leaning forward on the table and putting his arms on it. “I just, I just don’t know mister Zhang and that bothers me.”

“We know from the driver’s account that you stayed back with mister Huang by the car?”

Shixun nods, “I didn’t want to go inside, and neither did Zitao. To be honest, I think both Han and Baixian were more pissed at the fact that they got fooled by Yuang through that servant. I mean, it was obvious Yuang was using the man to fool us and Han and Baixian thought they could get something out of this by blackmailing Yuang, but I think they didn’t get it?” Shixun frowns at Yixing, as if asking him to confirm or deny it.

Yixing shakes his head, “Junmyeon, the servant, was never consulted whether he would let himself be prostituted.” Yixing scoffs, “Turns out, he’s very loyal to his husband.”

Shixun widens his eyes, gasping, “Husband? But I never saw him wearing a ring!”

Yixing grins, “The husband is probably dead. Never mind, would you tell me everything that happened on that night, precisely?”

Shixun nods; he starts.

_Shixun isn’t sure why he is here so late, waiting and fighting his lethargy in Lu Han’s study. A servant came and handed them cups of coffee, which Baixian refused and took a cigarette from Zitao instead. Zitao, like him, is largely disinterested but since they are friends, he is mostly here for courtesy. Baixian starts pacing, smoking furiously, and waiting for Lu Han to return._

_Lu Han returns after some time with a gun in his hand. Shixun jumps to his feet, shouting, “What is that?”_

_Zitao drawls, “A gun, and I hope you have a license for that.”_

_Lu Han nods, “Belongs to my brother.”_

_Baixian scowls, “You’re serious.”_

_Lu Han chortles, “Of course I’m!” He throws his arms wide and his eyes glisten with cruelty as he says, “First, he tricks us with his cards. Second, we lose so much money. And lastly, he shows us the way to the honey but it turns out the bee stings!”_

_Shixun chews his lips wondering how much of this madcap plan is to avenge the last point and the last point only. They all have enough money to forget about their losses. Shixun looks at Zitao, trying to gauge if the man is on his side, but Zitao looks nonplussed. Baixian stubs his cigarette in the ashtray and his jaw hardens as he says, “Let’s go.”_

_Lu Han calls for a cab and they only wait for it for some time before it shows up on the street in front of Lu Han’s house. They all scramble in and they find that it is driver Wu with the hearing problem, so they talk about their plan in hushed tones. It was simple; they would all go into Yuang’s house and scare the living daylights out of them. Some physical harm may be caused and even with Zitao’s lecture on degrees of violence, Lu Han is adamant that he must bring the gun to impress upon Yuang how serious they are. Zitao again just shrugs and dons his mask of nonchalance._

_They reach Yuang’s house and Baixian instructs the driver to wait. At the last moment, Lu Han decides for two of them to stay behind. Shixun volunteers only too easily and Zitao just shrugs in response. Baixian and Lu Han head inside the house, though through the open doors, they can see Baixian waiting on the landing as Lu Han creeps upstairs._

_Shixun chews on his lips before groaning and raising his hands. “This is crazy, we should stop them.”_

_Zitao scoffs as he hops out of the car, “You think they can be stopped?” He looks over his shoulder and finds the driver turning his head away, as if he was listening in, or trying to. Zitao taps on the hood and says, “Hey, Wu, do you mind turning the car and waiting on the opposite street?” The driver nods and Zitao walks back, giving the man room to turn the car around and watches him park it on the opposite street. Zitao also watches him get out of the car and walk towards the small sweets shop. Well, the witness to their madness won’t see a whole lot then._

_Shixun follows, and whisper-shouts, “But Tao!”_

_Zitao shrugs, “Let them, they are just being macho men with hurt egos. This isn’t about the money.”_

_Shixun frowns, “That I know! But what if, what if—”_

_“They won’t hurt the servant, I’m sure. This is a statement.” He strolls up to the benches on either side of the gates and lights two cigarettes. He holds one out to Shixun and grins, “Come on, here have a smoke.”_

_Shixun sighs, shaking his head but he takes the cigarette. He is done with his cigarette when Baixian and Lu Han return. Their eyes are wide, their faces are pale and Lu Han says, “We need to go!”_

_Zitao asks, “What happened?”_

_Lu Han whispers, “Yuang’s dead.” When Shixun gasps, he says, “But trust me, we didn’t do it.”_

Shixun finishes his narration and looks at Yixing, hoping he was good enough with the retelling. Yixing slowly nods, rubbing his chin. The detective says, “Lu Han claimed the door to Yuang’s room was locked and when he called Baixian upstairs to help him break in. However, when they tried to push again, they found the door unlocked and went inside to find Yuang was dead. So, whatever happened, happened within five minutes or less.” Suddenly, he gets to his feet and looks at Taekwoon, “We need to go, I need to see Yuang’s room again!”

Shixun offers to drop them and in his shiny new car, Yixing and Taekwoon reach Yuang’s house in record speed. Even though no one invites him, Shixun follows the two men inside. Yixing is heading for the western stairs when he turns around and asks Shixun, “Can you find the servant and bring him to the room?”

Shixun nods, feeling slightly excited about getting to help the detective. He rushes off to find Junmyeon. Meanwhile, Taekwoon follows Yixing to the room and he asks, “Okay, what’s going on?”

Yixing looks at Taekwoon and grins, “Do me a favour, will you? Enter the house through the backyard and take the stairs to the bathroom. And be fast, like you need to be somewhere else as soon as possible.”

Taekwoon raises an eyebrow, wondering what his husband is up to, but he shrugs and just nods his head. Yixing gets his ideas and this is one of them—there will be an explanation soon. Taekwoon goes downstairs and as instructed, runs to the backyard from the back gate and leaps up the stairs, taking two at a time. The rusted iron staircase vibrates violently as Taekwoon runs up it. He knocks on the door and Yixing opens it, his gaze glued to his watch. He grins, “That took you only three and a half minutes, which means I was right.”

Shixun clears his throat and they return to the main room to find Junmyeon standing by the window, twisting his braid and looking unimpressed. Yixing smiles, “Junmyeon, did you always use the main door,” he points at the door that they all used to get inside the room, “Or did you use that one?” He points at the one behind Shixun’s back. The younger man is surprised to see the door covered by the curtain. He pushes it aside and finds a door, which he opens into a small study room of sorts and the entry door in that room is unlocked from the inside.

Junmyeon frowns, “Well, yes. Sometimes he wanted to eat in the study, sometimes in his room. I usually entered that room because it is closer to the stairs.”

“So, what do you do? Place the tray and knock on the connecting door?”

Junmyeon nods, “That’s how it was.”

Yixing grins, nodding. “That’s enough, Junmyeon, you may go. Thank you.”

Junmyeon turns around to leave but he pauses for a second, turning around, “Uh, mister Zhang, how long do I have to stay here? I really, really don’t wish to stay any longer and I need to look for work elsewhere too.”

Yixing smiles, “Soon, mister Kim, soon.”

Taekwoon scowls; he is struggling to understand why Yixing is back in Lu Han’s house. Lu Han looks bored and Taekwoon is low key seething inside, wondering why Lu Han can’t even maintain decorum. The man has this red silk shirt on, unbuttoned till his sternum, and at ten in the morning, he’s drinking neat whiskey. His hair is also messed up and Taekwoon wonders if those are lovebites he sees on the man’s neck, probably spent all of last night committing all sorts of obscenities. Yixing, however, is unfazed. He is calmly sipping the tea a servant served them some time ago.

Lu Han crosses his legs and frowns, “So, what are you doing here?”

Yixing smiles then picks up a tissue paper and dabs his lips. He says, “So, will you tell us what really happened now? I know that you and Baixian went inside. I know you found the door locked and then magically unlocked and how no one believed you.”

Lu Han’s eyes widen and he pushes his hand into the pocket of his trousers and pulls out a cigarette packet. His hands shake as he lights one and murmurs, “You believe me?”

Yixing nods, “Yes. Yes, I do believe the door was locked and then someone unlocked it. And I’m also certain that you or your friends are not the murderers.”

Taekwoon inaudibly gasps. Lu Han too looks surprised and the lit cigarette almost slips through his fingers. He shakes his head and puts the stick in the ashtray, and suddenly starts chuckling. He sounds relieved, amazed and astonished all at the same time. He rubs his face and says, “Who snitched on us though? Shixun? He always was a snake.”

Yixing smirks, “I’d agree to disagree on that.” He clasps his hands and continues, “There are still a few things I have to ask you. The questions may seem silly to you, but I need proper answers.” Lu Han nods his head. “Okay, first, when you went into the room, where was the plate of food?”

Lu Han scowls, but he thinks hard for a moment. “On the floor, overturned, and I remember the food was all on the floor too.”

“Did you hear the plate fall?”

Lu Han is about to say no but then he realises something. “There is something, at first I thought it was nothing, but I did hear a sound. But I thought it came from the outside.” He sits up straight, suddenly curious as to why Yixing is asking such things. “But why—”

Yixing raises his hand. “Last question, what was the direction in which the soup was spilt? Was it towards the main door, the bathroom door or the connecting door?”

Lu Han is thoroughly confused, but he slowly recalls, “I, I think, I think it was the bathroom? Like, for some reason I vividly recall it was bone soup and the piece of bone was lying towards the left. The soup was runny...”

“And your left means Yuang’s right, thus, the bathroom door,” Yixing smiles as he finishes speaking. “The soup was runny, huh. I think I have it now.” 

Some moments later, Minshuo is looking at the note Yixing sent through Wu Shixun’s hands. He reads and re-reads the words and scratches his head. _Why look up this man?_

III.

Three days later, Yixing is on the phone with Minshuo and when the call is over, his eyes are gleaming. Taekwoon, who was on the breakfast table sipping his tea, knows that look. He quietly says, “So, the curtain will fall soon, eh?”

Taiyan was there too, making herself a cup of tea when she hears it and her eyes widen, “Mister Zhang has solved it?”

Yixing grins, “Oh I have.”

Taiyan doesn’t get her answer even though she is itching to know. Yixing and Taekwoon, meanwhile, leave the Bian house and head for Lu Han’s house. Taekwoon is again left wondering why. He was under the impression that his husband thought none of the four killed Yuang, so what now? His surprise doesn’t decrease when he sees Lu Han pacing in the front yard, as if waiting for them. He stops when he notices Yixing and cries, “Ah! You’re finally here! What is all this about?”

“I needed someone with a gun,” Yixing smiles, spreading his hands in front of him, “I didn’t bring mine, I don’t much like carrying it around. Now, we need to go, we may not have much time! The lovebirds might flee the cage anytime now!”

Taekwoon is still confused but he does know they are not packing any firearms—however, first of all, why do they even need a gun? Before his questions can be answered, Yixing asks Lu Han to drive them towards Yuang’s house. Lu Han does try to ask questions but Yixing expertly waves them off. Lu Han even sends Taekwoon a look but the latter just closes his eyes and shakes his head. Yixing during his curtain call stage is infuriating for others, but Taekwoon is largely used to it after a decade of being together and tagging along with him on his cases.

They reach Yuang’s house soon enough but to their surprise (well, mostly Lu Han and Taekwoon’s), the front door is unlocked. Yixing breezes through the entrance anyway and when they are making their way to the very back, he quietly asks, “Your gun?” Lu Han pulls it out from his trousers and cocks it. Yixing says, “Now, no shooting, we only want to stop them, okay?” Lu Han salutes in answer.

They carefully, quietly make their way to the back of the house and Yixing shouts, startling the two people trying to leave through the backdoor, “Yifan and Junmyeon!”

Yifan and Junmyeon get terribly startled and Junmyeon drops his bag. Yifan turns around and grabs Junmyeon’s wrist, ready to bolt but Lu Han points the gun at them, asking, “Wait, what? Isn’t that the taxi driver?”

Yixing smiles, “Yes, and Junmyeon’s long, lost husband, right?”

Junmyeon gasps and he inches closer to Yifan, who wraps his hand around his husband’s shoulder. Junmyeon shakes his head, “I, just, I, just...” He can’t find his words and tucks himself under Yifan’s chin, covering his mouth and trying to muffle his sobs.

Yixing shakes his head, his smile dropping and he looks almost sad as he says, “I just need to know, did you kill Yuang, Yifan?” Yifan grits his jaw and shakes his head. “I don’t believe you. Mister Lu, can you give me the gun?” Yixing gets the gun from Lu Han and throws it towards Yifan, who, on reflex, catches it with his left hand. “So, _you’re_ left-handed. The hit on the head from the back was on the left side of his head and from someone taller than him. At first, I thought it was Shixun or Zitao but talking to them made me realise it couldn’t be because I paid attention to which hand they used to eat or light a cigarette. And then I started suspecting you. After all, you were there too on that fateful night.”

Yixing turns to look at Junmyeon next, “Your actions that night further confirmed my suspicions. When you came to give your master food, you used the connecting door, so, you didn’t see any of Yuang’s esteemed guests that day. You saw the body and then you saw the door in the bathroom open, the door that cleaners use. You realised, didn’t you? That there was only one person who would know this way? I understood it was someone you knew, someone you may have told the various ins and outs of the house. So, as Yifan unlocked the door to the room from the inside after Lu Han left to get Baixian, you went and locked the cleaner-side door. Then, you unlocked the main door. And you lied about the time you went to your master's room to serve food. Bone soup served at nine would be jelly by eleven, never stay runny”

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Lu Han gapes, “But, but how did you know that they were married?”

Yixing shrugs, “I asked Minshuo to track a Wu Yifan in the army. Turns out Wu here submitted a pension application in case of his death, made out to his mother and his husband, Wu Junmyeon.” He looks at Yifan, who is looking at the ground, the gun hanging loosely from his hand. “I get it, I do. You killed the man who was putting your husband through hell.” He steps back, crossing his arms behind his back as he smiles, “You have some time to get a head start before I tell the police. I mean, it’s early, they may take their own sweet time to move.”

Junmyeon, who had been crying into Yifan’s chest all this while, looks up and his eyes widen, his lips tremble as he says, “Mister Zhang, what—”

Lu Han shouts, “Exactly! What do you mean?”

“Yuang was a cretin, he was going to get killed by someone someday,” Yixing shrugs. “His past is bad, his present was awful, and if not Junmyeon, it would be someone else.” He looks at Yifan, “Now, go. And maybe chuck that taxi somewhere.”

Yifan is still expressionless but he raises his left hand and Lu Han almost raises his hands before Yifan throws the gun on the ground. He grabs Junmyeon tighter, picks up the bag and quietly says, “Thank you.”

Yifan and Junmyeon hurry from the house. Taekwoon crosses his arms and shakes his head, “You were planning to let them go from the very beginning, weren’t you?”

Yixing answers, “Darling, I could never prove Yifan’s crime in court. There’s literally no proof, but now I can point Minshuo at the right direction. What he does with this information is up to him.” Then he cackles, looking at Lu Han, “Though, I’m sure your brother will try his best to shut this all down. I mean, he lost some money to Yuang too, didn’t he?”

Lu Han just scowls and puts his hands on his hips, trying hard for a comeback to that. 

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thank you for reading this mess, you a champ for enduring this crappy plot (╯✧▽✧)╯


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